sorry, my babies," she said quietly, and then yanked out a handful of squirming, hissing hair. She dumped it into the caldron and turned away as the baby serpents screamed for her, repeating "Mommy," in high-pitched wails. The slurry in the cauldron sent up a sulfuric stench and nearly bubbled over, and she waited until the nasty brew had calmed before she added her potion to the spell.
"Do your work," Medusa said, hugging herself. "Slither into guilt and past misdeeds, home to unreleased agony and pain and grief... and break her."
'There," Sebastian murmured, his voice thick and oily with triumph. "Was that so hard?" Medusa shot him a glare and hissed. Unfazed, Sebastian turned his attention toward Genghis, who unsheathed a blade, stepped up, and opened his palm over the batch.
"Yes, add your blood, General, that she will battle herself and her husband as though she were battling your hordes," Sebastian murmured, and he watched with dark fascination as Genghis slit his palm and a long, thick drizzle of oily-black blood made the contents in the cauldron sizzle and then flame up.
"Almost ready," Sebastian said in a low, pleased voice as he jerked his attention to Machiavelli. His gaze narrowed on him as he watched the competing warlock preen and straighten his clothes after having just left Lilith. "You're late."
"I was here as soon as I needed to be ... I'm sure you know why I was detained."
"Add your element!" Sebastian shouted, rounding on Machiavelli, who stood calmly, but with black-bolt charge dancing at his readied fingers.
As Sebastian swept up to him, Machiavelli spat. "Add it yourself, or have none. You want my disdain - there, you
have it."
Furious, but needing to quickly get the acidic saliva into the brew while fresh, Sebastian
hurried over to the cauldron and leaned close to the bubbling surface. Angry tendrils of blackish-green potion leapt up and licked his face, making him cry out as the scalding substance raced over his skin. When he pulled back, breathing hard, Machiavelli smiled.
"Surely, you didn't expect a gentleman to endure that." Machiavelli adjusted his billowing sleeves. "Will that be all?"
Sebastian lunged, but Genghis caught him.
"Complete the batch," Genghis ordered. "Or I'll kill you both."
"We don't have time for this," Medusa hissed. "We must deliver it now, under the current auspices. If one fails, we all fail. You know what Lilith told us. Her wrath is tied to the master's wrath, and surely none of you want to experience that." She looked around the small clearing, and slowly order was restored.
"Jezebel, your share is the final element I need. My sweat has been added to steal her focus, to make her work hard and invest sweat equity in all the wrong things. We have all lined the cauldron with our spells. But, you, my dear, are literally the cherry on top ... your element will drive her to insane lusts."
Jezebel smiled as she sauntered over to Sebastian. "Compliment accepted." She slid into his embrace and threw her head back as he slid his palm down her stomach until it slipped beneath the edge of her sheer pantaloons. A deep moan echoed in the clearing, making bats take flight as his gnarled fingers thrust into her canal and came away with green, translucent slime.
"Perfect," he whispered, bringing it under his nose for a shuddering whiff and then submerged his hand into the cauldron.
The mixture went still for a moment and immediately cooled. He laughed hysterically and began to withdraw his hand from the slurry, but just as soon as he did, thick, pas sionate tendrils whipped up his arm and tried to yank him down farther into the batch. Genghis immediately grabbed him around the waist and hauled him back. Machiavelli as sisted at arm's length, sending sharp black bolts to cut the tendrils at their base. The moment the last one was severed, Genghis and Sebastian fell away and hit the ground with a combined thud. The cauldron sputtered, flamed up red hot, and then cooled.
"Call Lilith," Sebastian said to Siren. 'Tell her to give it to the Harpies to dump in the Pacific Ocean - her potion is ready."
* * *
carlos walked back into the suite that they'd aban doned, sensing. It was definitely a familiar that had been the culprit. The nasty little thing had sniffed the door but couldn't get in because of the prayer barriers. He let out his breath hard, too frustrated for words. Dan could handle group check-out by phone. There was nothing left